ShopRite Architect to Continue Testimony

Inserra Supermarkets Inc. representatives began detailing their vision of a ShopRite Wednesday night before the board that will ultimately approve or deny the application to build at the Greenwood Avenue shopping center.

The Planning Board held its first hearing on an application that was initially filed in September and has already been vetted by the township's Design Review Board and Shade Tree Commission, both of which suggested changes that have been incorporated into the design.

"We've tried hard from the start... to bring a good application to this board," said Inserra attorney James Jaworski.

That application seeks to demolish the existing supermarket building across from the U.S. Post Office and up the block from St. Elizabeth's Church as well as the strip mall across the parking lot that currently houses retail shops. In their place would be a 62,174-square-foot ShopRite, adjacent to the Stop & Shop at the Boulder Run shopping center.

The hearings on the application could take months, as Jaworski was only able to present his first witness, architect Thomas Ashbahian, who will be called back before the board to answer questions related to building height, utilities and design materials. Jaworski expects to call witnesses to testify on traffic, landscaping, engineering and other related matters.

Inserra seeks several variances in addition to site plan approval, including waivers on lot depth, rear-yard setbacks, parking stall size and steep slopes. Jaworski maintained that all relief sought is reasonable and would have "no impact" on surrounding properties and the township overall.

However, the applicant, which holds a long-term lease on the land, likely would have sought many more variances if it had decided to renovate the existing supermarket on the site. Jaworski explained that adapting the A&P building wasn't at all feasible.

"It doesn't comport with any of the setback criteria (under township code)," he said. The building is smaller than the supermarket designed to replace it, its green space is deficient under current code, there are traffic flow concerns and little emergency access, among other issues.

"The site doesn't warrant re-utilization," Jaworski said.

Instead, Ashbahian has designed an all-brick building (with concrete loading docks) whose footprint will not conform to the present building's location. Instead, the front of the building is angled more toward Greenwood Avenue, with the rear facing Main Street. Moving the building will help satisfy some of the concerns on setbacks and vehicle access.

Planned parking spaces have been eliminated to increase the site's green space, although the 366 planned stalls conforms to code. Custom cart corrals have been designed at the behest of Design Review. Design flourishes such as arches, gables, towers and dormers have been added, some by Design Review suggestions, to break up the massing of the building so as not to create a "big-box" feel.

"The building has a multiplicity of treatments and facades," said Ashbahian, a Wyckoff resident. "We don't have a large, massive building with a single wall in any direction.

"We've hopefully created a building that this board can look at with approval," he said, while explaining that the design elements were included in response to the "sensitivities of the town," expressed at prior hearings.

Much of Wednesday's hearing was devoted to explaining the broad strokes of a plan that has been debated several times by the Design Review and Shade Tree members. Both advisory boards' reports have been submitted to the Planning Board but are not binding. Planning Board members have ultimate authority on all matters related to the application and can suggest additional elements, eliminate ideas forwarded by the aforementioned boards, etc. Board attorney Joseph Perconti reminded the board and public of that fact as much of the conversation centered on the work already done to get to the Planning Board level.

Soon, passersby could see balloons suspended on the property at the approximate height of the planned building in response to a request from Mayor Rudy Boonstra, who hopes the exercise will give members a greater sense of the building's potential impact, especially on neighboring properties.

Jaworski said today that the Inserra representatives will try to conduct the exercise before the board's next meeting. He's discussing options with Peter Ten Kate, the township's consulting engineer, on how best to illustrate the height, as a balloon display could be impacted by weather. Jaworski suggested bucket trucks could perhaps be used in lieu of balloons to demonstrate the building's height.

Members also seek a better idea of how the building's utilities, planned for the rear of the store, will be shielded. Ashbahian explained that a parapet will hide the units from view, prompting Peter Ten Kate, the township's consulting engineer, to suggest that approval be conditioned on additional screening added should the parapet fail to effectively mask the units. Members suggested they'd prefer to be comfortable with efforts while considering approvals, rather than having Inserra representatives address the issue after a store is already in operation.

Additionally, an attorney representing Stop & Shop and Boulder Run owner Munico Associates challenged the ability of the Planning Board to hear the project, arguing that the zoning board was the proper venue for the application. Click here for more information.

The next Planning Board meeting will take place Aug. 11 at Town Hall.